So many of us have important things going on in the world of business. We start thinking of what to wear? Instead of that, I want you to think about WHAT COLOR TO WEAR?

Why? Because color can be POWERFUL! Maybe it’s a big day for you an interview, a networking event with business professionals or an important meeting at work and you just know you want to look amazing and feel victorious! People talk about color and image but is it really that important? YES! IT IS!

Here’s why! You walk in the room and suddenly you only have 2-7 SECONDS to make a great first impression! People judge constantly on our appearance and this determines if they even want to speak to us. Color is part of that which can be seen first which blends in or stands out in a room or crowd of people.

Color has been proven to have psychological effects on people subconsciously! From the color of the walls to reasons why we buy things of certain color to the clothes you wear and more! We react on multiple levels of association with colors. Studies have found that around 85% of consumers cite color as the primary reason to buy a specific product. I have done that myself if there are different color options you go with your favorite color right?

Color has so much influence in our lives:

Color affects your mood

Color reflects your personality

Color has different meanings when you wear it

Color may affect how you are perceived by others

Color can leave a lasting impression

Color can brand you or your company

Color changes the look of your complexion on your face

Color can grab the attention of others or go unnoticed

Color can affect your sales or advertising in person & online

Color is powerful in business if you know how to use it

There are 5 POWER COLORS:

BLACK

DARK BROWN

NAVY

DARK GRAY

RED

We will dive into these colors and what they mean and how to wear them but before choosing a power color you should ask yourself these questions:

What is your purpose for your big day?

Do you have an interview? The best color for an interview hands down is NAVY! It’s a neutral color and goes with all skin tones. Navy looks amazing on everyone and it comes across as trustworthy. If you don’t prefer navy, which you should, then go with dark gray which is also neutral and the second best color for interviews. Black can be cold and intimidating with high authority so not great for an interview. Best interview colors hands down are navy and gray.

Are you meeting with a client? This depends on the message you want to project: trustworthy, conservative, dependable, power? All colors can work here but in business red needs to be considered very carefully. If you have a job in marketing, art, fashion or something fun or creative, then red may be a possibility because it’s different, grabs attention and works for those professions. It stands out! It shows you are empowered, take action, fearless and not boring!

Are you a sales professional? Sales professionals are best POWER COLOR to choose Navy! Navy comes across as trustworthy and you want to close the deal. That’s your sales power color BUT, the best colors to wear in sales are lighter shades of blue, yellow, orange, and pink! These are happy, outgoing colors. If you are in sales where you have to wear more professional power colors then navy, dark gray and dark brown are better choices. I suggest pairing these power colors with lighter shades of blue, yellow, orange and even pink. Black can be intimidating and red is questionable depending on the audience.

Some companies do not want you to wear a suit, they prefer you actually blend in with the client. Make sure you know these things. At that point you may not want to wear power colors but friendly colors if meeting with clients.

I know a woman who was in pharmaceutical sales and every time she wore her red suit she would commanded the room. She was called in before the other sales reps, deal done, boom! That’s a great example where red is attention getting, powerful and it totally fit her vibrant personality. Think about the other jobs I mentioned as well such as fashion, art, modeling, marketing, acting, some sales positions, etc.… where this color is appropriate!

Do you have a very important meeting with executives? If you have a meeting with executives absolutely go for the power colors except red, maybe? Although, there are a few instances where women have been known to wear a powerful red suit because they are the boss lady and can do what they please! Now that’s a presence! Color has been coming into the executive world little by little. Many women in NYC and DC even wear red and other colors even though they are around executives. Know your audience, company and the culture! That’s so important, this will provide insight if it’s appropriate. There are times when it will work or it may not be a good idea going for red. Red will also make you stand out. How do you want to be perceived? If you wear red, your personality has to match it by being bold and asking for what you want. All colors can be great for this meeting, just choose wisely by the meaning of each color.

Are you going to a networking event? In this case do you want to blend in with the crowd or stand out? This is a networking event for business professionals. I wouldn’t suggest wearing black to networking events because it can be intimidating and then you wonder why nobody comes up to you, unless you know people there. If you want to meet new people don’t do black unless you already have a great up-beat personality and pair it with a pop of color! Go with navy, dark gray, dark brown or in some cases to stand out wearing red but do it with confidence and own it. If you wear colors 1-4 I suggest adding a pop of color to liven it up or stand out.

Some industries, companies and positions require and have a dress code that is professional to executive dressing in suits. These power colors are best meant for wearing this attire but not always. You can still be business casual and wear these colors. Once again it’s important to know your companies culture or if you are an entrepreneur understand who your audience is and how you want to be perceived.

Sometimes it’s best to blend in with the crowd and other times it’s better to stand out and show that you are different. Know when to dress it up or down. Regardless dress your best always! Even if you only need to dress business casual, show respect for yourself and dress the best business casual you have. You can also do this with nice accessories and make sure everything is crisp, clean and not worn out.

Next understand what mood you’re in and what message you want to get across with choosing your power color:

BLACK: Authority, total power and can be intimidating depending on your personality

DARK BROWN: Reliable, dependable and strong

NAVY: Trustworthy and neutral. Great for any occasion. The top power color for interviews

DARK GRAY: Conservative, sophisticated, logical & neutral. The second best color for interviews.

RED: Powerful, energy and commands attention. Be careful using this in business.

Note: A great example of power colors is paying attention to the politicians. They always wear black with a blue tie = power and trust. They wear black with red = ultimate power of authority. They wear navy suits to come across as trustworthy and add the red tie for power!

Now let’s chat about your skin tone to know what power color looks best on you. Have you ever wore something that just didn’t work with your skin tone as it washed your face out or made your face look dull and showed every imperfection! We have all been there, done that!

Here is a breakdown of the colors and what skin tone they are COOL/ WARM/ NEUTRAL:

BLACK= COOL TONE: this cool tone will wash you out if you are a true warm skin tone. If you are cool skin tone then black is your ultimate power color.

DARK BROWN= WARM TONE: this warm tone will not look good or boring on a true cool skin tone. Brown is a warm skin tone’s ultimate power color. Choose a dark brown and look amazing.

NAVY= NUETRUAL: this true neutral shade goes well with all skin tones. Everyone looks great in it!

DARK GRAY= NEUTRAL: gray is another great neutral color and goes well with all skin tones.

RED= WARM: Ultimately red is a warm tone BUT, depending on the shade it is cool and warm. A warm skin tones best red is an orange-red. A cool skin tones best red is a blue-red (the color of a bright cherry red)!

If you are a warm skin tone and want to wear black like everyone does, then wear a warm color next to your face. It’s important to know your skin tone so you know what colors look amazing on you or it can wash you out, show imperfections, make your skin look dull, etc.

Pair these power colors with a pop of color to liven up your outfit. Something that fits your personality, mood, sends a message, makes a statement, uplifting, or gets you noticed! Color has meaning, it’s powerful, use it as a tool to make you feel good.

I hope this blog helps you find your power colors to wear in business and when to use them. Any questions please feel free to contact me. lisa@poshimageconsulting.com.

Share this blog with someone you know in business to help them look fantastic!

I am a life coach & image coach. I give away FREE Coaching sessions every month. If interested visit my site & subscribe to my newsletter, you will automatically be entered to win. Go here: www.poshimageconsulting.com

I want everyone to value yourself, knowledge, talent and discover what you have to offer. I look around and see people just going through the motions in this life but they are not really living. We are all so busy, on the go with frustration, so focused on our cell phones we don’t take time to observe the world around us. You don’t notice the stranger helping another, the smile/laughter from your children or sadness in their eyes when they go unseen, lost communication between couples that start to drift separate ways, unaware of a friend in need, a coworker struggling to be noticed, or lose sight of the beautiful scenery around you. Time flies by in a flash and before you know it’s a new year and you are stuck in the same situation. It’s time to change that! It’s time to LIVE YOUR LIFE with happiness and joy. Be PRESENT in this world and take notice to what’s going on around you and with others.

IT’S A NEW YEAR! One word for you CHANGE! Don’t fear it, embrace it.

Assess yourself, who are you? Are you the person you dream of becoming? Are you successful? Do you have the dream job? Are you comfortable in your skin and body? Are you happy with your life? Are happy with your career? Are you happy in your relationship? Are you healthy? Do you know what your purpose is? What’s your attitude? How do you respond to others? How do others respond to you? Have you lost yourself or your way? How will others remember you or will they??

It’s time to figure these things out. YOU are the only one who can CHANGE these things to make yourself a better person and find these answers. Make your dreams become a reality. Take a look at each of those questions and answer them. If you can’t answer in a positive response then it’s time for change, RIGHT!

Who are you, who do you want to become and how can you get there. What needs to change? You can have the vision and believe in the secret but at the end of the day if you don’t GET UP and take ACTION then nothing will change. You need to open your mind to endless possibilities and create a plan, it’s never too late. Some can figure it out on their own, others need guidance. Reach out to a true friend, trainer, mentor, coach, image consultant, or maybe all of these can help you in specific areas.

YOU HAVE TO INVEST IN YOURSELF TO BE SUCCESSFUL!

Find your confidence! Find something that inspires and empowers you. Have a clear vision of your goals for motivation that brings you the drive and determination to get off your ass and reach success. You find motivation through your thoughts. These thoughts are what brings on that drive to succeed because you have goals to accomplish and you have a clear vision of your reward when it’s reached.

How do you look and feel about yourself. Starting on the outside with your image can kick-start that confidence and self-worth you need to start making a difference. It’s a PROVEN FACT that you are more confident and happy when you feel good and look great. Then you work on the inside to find self-love. We are all beautiful but you have to feel it and be comfortable in your own skin to shine! This is the year to find your best-self!

Ask yourself when situations arise: “what would my best-self do in this situation?” Find a positive attitude in life. Everyone has choices. Wake up in the morning and choose to be happy. Nobody wants to be around negative people.

This year I’m starting new myself. I’m making positive changes, choices, and I’m on a mission to bring you inspiration, empowerment, and motivation to find your best-self. I’m also going to give things away for FREE! Yep!

I will have a new blog coming out by the end of the month and my Facebook page is rising to a whole new level from image, style, confidence to success in business and how to get there. I’m going to teach how to get RESULTS. How to find yourself, your image, dress for success, power of color, shop smart, dress for your body shape, and also how to become successful with a positive attitude, motivation, tips on what works, interviews from other successful people, networking tips, leadership, training, gain self-worth, find confidence, and so much more. Stop procrastinating and create your own destiny.

Make this an AMAZING YEAR and reach your goals and then create more. It’s your life change it and don’t let others get in the way of your dreams.

BELIEVE & VALUE YOURSELF! LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO BE BORING, BE MAGNIFICENT!

When you are under 5’3” you have to be careful of the styles and shoes you wear because some silhouettes can make you look short/stubby/stocky; NOT GOOD!

I WILL BE POST TIPS FOR OTHER SHAPES AS WELL!

Here are some tips to help you lengthen the body when you are a shorty such as myself!

SHORTS:

When it comes to shorts, the shorter options are better for you.

The high waist bottoms are in right now and they are GREAT on you! The high waist option helps lengthen the legs. This works for pants & skirts as well! Have fun with this trend.

When choosing a PRINT go easy! A print that’s too large can be overwhelming on your small frame.

CAPRI/ CULOTTES:

These options are NOT your best friend. When you are short/petite these can look really bad on you and shorten you even more. Here are a couple options on how to get away with wearing these styles.

You should NOT choose wide leg. Make sure these are more fitted and slim pant style.

Also choose a shoe the same color or shade. If you can match the shoe to the pants then do so. If you have dark color pants wear dark shoe, light color pants need a light shoe. This helps give your legs some more length. You can always throw on a nude heel that will also lengthen the legs and can be worn with any color pants.

JEANS/PANTS CASUAL OR DRESS:

Go for a trendy high waist option, and relaxed fit, straight leg jeans are best options. Depending on your body shape you can work with skinny, boot cut, tapered styles but you should know what works with your shape before wearing these styles. These styles look good on specific shapes.

Same for casual or dress pants! With dress pants you can wear the relaxed fit, straight leg or even slim cuts and show off a little ankle then match the shoes or go with nude pumps.

SKIRTS:

With skirt options you really don’t want to go beneath the knees or it will shorten you up. Unless you are wearing a maxi style. If you are short and not petite but DO go with a skirt that falls to below the knee or to the calf.

Maxi skirts are fine if you choose high waist it will elongate the body. You can wear a crop top or just tuck a fitted shirt in with it.

Midi skirts are ok depending on what shoe you wear with it. Be careful of this style because it can shorten you as it sits just below the knee. Wear a shoe same color or a nude, preferably a little heel to add some height.

Short skirts are great for your body shape and wearing the right shoe can elongate the legs which is sexy.

SHOES:

Heels are wonderful for you if you can wear them.

Every short girl should have a fabulous pair of NUDE HEELS! You will love what these do for your beautiful legs. Pick a nude shade that matches well with your skin tone.

STRAPS? Not the best option for you. Sorry! I know they are in style right now. Unless you choose a color that is close to your skin tone it will shorten the legs a lot! If you don’t care and just want a sexy strappy shoe then go for it!

POINTY TOE shoes are your best friend. They will elongate the leg no matter what the heel size is. If you can’t wear a heel pick a great pair of flats with pointy toe.

Here are some tips to get organized before doing a closet audit with your personal stylist. It’s Spring and this is the time to get organized and weed out those winter clothes. Some of my clients have me come in and do a seasonal closet audit which is wonderful. If you cannot do that you should purge your closet at least once or twice a year. Spring time is a good time to do it and then maybe winter time would be the second time for the year.

Pick out hangers that are all the same color, preferably white it looks crisp and clean and neat

Buy some belt/tie/scarf hangers

Place shoe racks in your closet so they are neat and organized

Storage boxes are great for accessories

Lint brushes- keep these around the house and in the closet

Sweater bags are great for putting your winter clothes away

You can even buy storage bins that you hide away under your bed

Over the closet hanging hooks are great! You can even display your outfit to wear the next day on it.

Baskets & bins are helpful for tossing items in

Cloth bags for your purses so they don’t get scuffed up

Jewelry bins Have all these items in place and that way if you hire your personal stylist to do a closet audit it makes it easy and quicker process!

An Image Consultant can help you achieve success in many different areas of your life! Not only do I help you improve your look, but also your self-confidence, job opportunities, promotions, social standings, dating opportunities, attract more clients and more. Hiring a certified image consultant can be one of the best investments you will ever make.

I can help you with choosing the right styles to fit your body shape, flatter your figure, hide problem areas, choose the right colors that harmonize with your skin tone which can help you look younger, teach you how to shop smarter, and get organized in that closet!

I can teach you simple ways to improve your look to achieve your desired results by assessing your lifestyle, personality, style, and budget.

Envision A Better You!

Be your best self and make things happen. Be fun, fashionable & fabulous!